


Many Roses (still smell as sweet)

by orphan_account



Series: A Boquet of Lovers [1]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: BDSM, F/F, F/M, Jim Kirk is a love hog and proud of it, Jim Kirk is married to the Enterprise, Jim Kirk loves his crew so much, Kirk-Centric, M/M, Master/Slave, Multi, Polyamory, Threesome - F/M/M, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-27
Updated: 2013-05-27
Packaged: 2017-12-13 03:43:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/819565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Captain of the USS Enterprise is a very lucky man.<br/>He probably should have figured this out a long time ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Many Roses (still smell as sweet)

•

> “The practice, state or ability of having more than one sexual loving relationship at the same time, with the full knowledge and consent of all partners involved”- Polyamory•

> “Well, it seems to me that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with”- Gillian Anderson•

()

Jim’s reading data files for their next mission, Uhura’s head in his lap, when Spock walks into their quarters. 

Spock nods once, eyes going soft as he takes in the two of them on the bed and Jim has to smile back at him. He drags his fingers through Uhura’s hair lazily, brushing the dark strands away from her forehead and thumbing across her brow in a soothing motion when she begins to stir. He wills her silently back to sleep and is relieved when she sighs deeply, unconsciously, and relaxes back against his thigh. 

Spock comes to sit next to them, looking down at her with obvious concern. “How is she?” he asks quietly, mindful of his sleeping partner. 

Jim purses his lips unhappily. “Tired. She’s working too hard”.

Spock nods. “This is a difficult mission for her”.

Jim wants to snort at him, roll his eyes and tell him that that’s maybe the understatement of the century but he doesn’t. He shrugs instead and looks at his first ruefully, “She hasn’t slept in three days Spock, they’re working her too hard. It’s not good for her” Jim’s expression turns stormy and his hand involuntarily clenches in her hair. Uhura makes a wounded noise and Jim relaxes his grip, shushing her apologetically, bending to kiss her brow and swipe a thumb over her cheekbone reverently. 

“I shouldn’t have let her go in the first place” Jim says, savage and hoarse.

“As the only communications officer aboard the ship with the skill to record and interpret the language cues of a previously unknown planetary species and translate them into standard her skills are essential to the facilitation of first contact” Spock touches her face briefly, wincing minutely.

“That being said, I also find the dilapidated state of her physical and mental presence to be… unpleasant”.

Jim does snort this time and flashes anger at his first officer. They stare at each other and Jim searches Spock’s blank face for something undefinable. The anger leaves Jim as abruptly as it arrived and he wipes a tired hand over his eyes, sighing.

“I just wish I could do something for her” he admits quietly, eyes soft and sad, “I’m the Captain. There should be something I can do to help her, lighten her load a bit”.

Through the fringe of his lashes, Spock looks at Jim meaningfully. “It is her job Jim, you cannot protect her from it- nor would she want you to”.

Jim smiles regretfully. “Yeah I know. Doesn’t stop me wanting to though”.

Spock nods like he understands and Jim has to smile again. He likes it when Spock makes an effort. Leaning across Uhura, careful not to brush her sleeping face, Jim kisses Spock lightly, stroking their two fingers together chastely at the same time. 

They touch foreheads and Jim breathes him in steadily, the calm of him, the anchoring presence that- if just for a moment- makes his world stop spinning. “I just want her happy” he whispers and Jim swears he can feel Spock smile slightly against his cheek.

“I know ashayam”.

They stay like that for a long time, foreheads together, Uhura a solid, warm weight against Jim’s thigh. 

()

Spock intercepts him on the observation deck while he’s staring mournfully (pathetically) at the little pink planet Uhura is currently on, slowly killing herself to compile an entire language translation in a number of days because the rest of her team is inept. Jim scowls to himself. As soon as this mission’s over he’s requesting some better trained communications officers: ones with a heap of experience and quicksilver tongues. Uhura shouldn’t have to be the only decent xenolinguist on the ship. 

“Captain” Spock greets and Jim nearly rolls his eyes. He points towards his black undershirt and indicates his lack of Captains stripes.

“I’m off-duty Spock. It’s Jim”.

“Jim”. 

Spock comes to sit by him, closer than he would normally and Jim bites back a smile. At least he takes the off-duty thing seriously when he’s clued into it. 

“I have meditated on the issue of Lieutenant Uhura” .

Jim raises an eyebrow, mercifully ignoring the ‘lieutenant’. “And?”.

“I believe I may be able to help her increase mental clarity and develop the skills necessary for greater energy preservation as well as strengthen her synaptic pathways. This should increase her mental and physical condition. I will, however, have to meld with her for a significant period of time”.

“How long would you need to prepare?” he asks, well aware that such mental feats are not without consequences for the mind instigating the exchange.

Spock inclines his head, “I have already done so as I hoped to be able to do so tonight” Spock hesitates for a moment and meets his eyes seriously, “ but I am also aware that tonight is time I would usually reserve for you Jim and I would not wish for you to feel… unacknowledged”.

Jim smiles at him and claps him on the shoulder. “No problem Spock. You can acknowledge me some other time” Jim winks at him suggestively and laughs when Spock only raises and eyebrow and looks distinctly unimpressed.

“Indeed”.

Jim looks at him fondly and reaches out to stroke his cheek, eyes serious. “You’ll take care of our girl won’t you?”.

Spock’s eyes, equally intense stare back. “Always Jim”.

()

Jim waltzes into the med-bay whistling a jaunty tune that makes Bones scowl the minute he sees him.

“What’re you so happy about?” he grouches, alternating between glaring at the tricorder he’s running over Jim’s body and the man himself. 

Jim shrugs and grins, “Got a date with my command posse tonight”. 

Jim waggles his eyebrows suggestively, gesturing crudely with his hands and making Chapel blush. He winks at her and she rolls her eyes, moving to enter his measurements into the ship records. Jim’s eyes follow her out the door and Bones levels him with an unimpressed look. “Thought you usually had it off with the Vulcan tonight”.

“He’ll be otherwise engaged tending to my other half” Jim says, eyeing the hypo in Bones’ fist warily. 

Bones raises his fist, brandishing the hypo and Jim shrinks back. “Oh hold still will you, ya big baby” he hisses when Jim ducks out of his way again, but manages to get a hold on his shoulder and dig his thumb in painfully, stabbing the hypo into his neck. 

“I’ve had eight year old girls on my table who’re better patients than you” he grouses.

Jim scowls, betrayed. “Well I’ve had an eighteen year old Russian genius stitching up my wounds with a rusty nail who had a better bedside manner than you Dr Mengele. You don’t see me complaining” he snarks.

Bones narrows his eyes. “Your ass is paying for that on Friday” he says conversationally, sliding forward until he’s right in Jim’s face. “What do you think; twenty lashes give or take depending on how much of a bitch you’re feeling that day?”.

Jim can’t help the shiver that runs through him at the thought. He licks his lips and lowers his eyelashes demurely, deliberately. 

“Whatever you want” he breathes, just to watch Bones’ eyes go black.

He snaps back to himself a moment later and stabs Jim in the neck again- the bastard. “Ow!”

“That’s for being a shit. Now get out of here before I don’t let you leave” he growls and Jim smirks all the way out the door.

()

Scotty’s manning the Transporter pad when Jim arrives.

Jim eyes him curiously. “Scotty!” he grins, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you outside of the engineering decks before dinner”.

Interestingly enough, Scotty colours and diverts his eyes to the console. “Just thought I’d beam the lieutenant up meself Captain” he shrugs and it’s a little too casual to be believable, “she’s been looking a wee bit tired and I thought she might appreciate a friendly face when she arrives”.

As though he just remembered Jim was there, Scotty’s head whips around and his eyes go wide. “Not that you aint’ a friendly face sir, I just dinnae know whether you were comin’ and I thought she might like to-” he stutters and gapes a bit pathetically and Jim decides to take mercy on the poor Scott. 

Jim waves a hand, still grinning; taking in Scotty’s flushed face. He’d have to ask Uhura about this little development later. “Not a problem Scotty. Let’s beam them up”.

Looking relieved, Scotty bends over the console. A moment later three shapes begin to materialise. Security officers Pereira and Ophoso first, then Uhura. He barely registers Ophoso and Pereira’s salute and retreat, focused almost entirely on the dark rings under Uhura’s eyes and the strained smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. 

She approaches him and hands him a padd that some small corner of his brain not occupied with tracing her features hungrily recognises must be the newest language compilations. Jim sets it aside gently and draws Uhura in by the back of her neck, holding her to his body tightly. Relaxing immediately, she sighs and burrows into his neck. He stands there until he feels her muscles unlock, until she can take her weight again and face the world without dropping due to exhaustion.

Smiling at him gratefully, Nyota kisses him fleetingly. She doesn’t say thank you. At this point, she knows she doesn’t need to. 

Scotty’s standing awkwardly behind them looking like he wants to stay and leave in equal measure and Jim nudges her in the ribs, directing her attention to him. Uhura smiles when she sees Scotty, gentle and genuine and it suffuses Jim with a warm glow. Her hand touches Scotty’s shoulder intimately and he leaves before he can make out their words. 

Let them have their time, he thinks. They’ll be beautiful, he thinks and smiles.

Jim waits outside the transporter bay and sooner than he would have thought Uhura meets him and they walks towards the mess hall together. 

“So” he smirks, “You and Scotty huh?”.

Uhura rolls her eyes and grins at him, uncharacteristically shy. “Yeah, I think so”.

He nods and is surprised when he feel her hand on his arm, restraining. They stop in the hallway. She’s looking at him seriously, eyes wary and careful- concerned- he realises with a start. “Are you okay with that?”

Jim blinks at that, thrown. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well” she hesitates, “You never really talk about it when you get… jealous and I want to make sure that you tell me if you do so we can talk about it”.

Jim softens, “Nyota” he says quietly, running his thumb over her cheek gently and catching her sigh in his palm, “I love you and I want you to be happy. Scotty’s my friend and if he makes you happy, then I’ll never begrudge you that or have any objection to it”.

She smiles, cupping his hand against her mouth and kissing his palm. “I know Jim. I just want to be clear about it. You and Spock will always be my home. Whoevers bed I’m in, I’ll always come back to you guys” she says, soft and genuine.

He moves forward into her space, catching her neck and kissing her deeply. She sighs into it and they trade deep kisses until they lose their breath. Drawing back he murmurs, “I love you”.

Nyota smiles and whispers it back.

()

He parts ways with Uhura after dinner and goes to meet Chekov and Sulu in rec room three. It’s the one with the old fashioned ping pong table and the replicated red solo cups. He loves hanging with his command posse because even though he loves them both dearly and knows them intimately, he has no problem just being bros with them. 

It’s something that’s missing in his relationship with Spock and Uhura nowadays. He loves them to pieces and knows he’ll be with them forever, but he’s finding it harder and harder to flick the switch from lovers to friends. He loves their epic romance, but he does miss being their friend sometimes too. 

Luckily he has Chekov and Sulu and to a lesser extent, Bones, to have fun with in and out of the bedroom- usually in the same night.

(To a lesser extent because what he and Bones do it the bedroom cannot really be labelled ‘fun’. Intense yes, passionate yes, satisfyingly kinky yes, but not ‘fun’ precisely.)

He intercepts Chekov as he walks through the door, slinging an arm around his shoulders and ruffling his hair, cooing into his ear. Blushing to his roots, Chekov mutters something (probably degrading) in Russian and elbows him in the side. Jim laughs and moves out of the way of the blow, sliding into the booth beside the young navigator. Sulu sits across from him, smirking amusedly and ticking his eyes between them. He shakes his head.

“You two. Always pulling pigtails” he teases, grinning into his shot glass.

Jim scowls and steals it from him in retaliation, swinging it back and staring at him challengingly. Sulu stares back at him and pours himself and Jim another glass. “Last man standing?” he raises.

Jim grins. “Hell yeah”.

Chekov pours himself a drink. “In zis case, I shall drink you both under ze table”.

Sulu smiles at Chekov warmly and the three of them clink their glasses together. “Bottoms up”.

()

Jim ends up- quite literally- under the table. 

Fucking Chekov. He should’ve known. He’s going to have a hangover the size of China tomorrow.

On the plus side, right now he’s pleasantly foggy and has a naked Russian in his lap and his helmsman fine cock right where he want it. He suckles Sulu teasingly, nipping at his foreskin as he thrusts shallowly into Chekov. Sulu grabs his hair in retaliation and forces himself in deeper. It makes Jim moan shamelessly and Sulu smile like he knows exactly what the rough handling is doing to Jim.

Chekov moans and it captures Jim’s attention. Changing the angle of his thrusts, Jim alternates the force and speed of his hips, letting Chekov press bruises into his hips. Sulu’s just starting to fuck his mouth in earnest and Chekov’s noises have reached a higher pitch when it occurs to him that Bones won’t be very happy when he finds the bruises Chekov’s left.

Sulu hits the back of his throat, Chekov convulses around him and Jim comes so hard that, for a moment, he swears he sees the world in technicolour. 

()

Saying goodbye to Sulu and Chekov at their door, he heads down to deck five to see his favourite Orion. He thinks he’ll leave Spock and Uhura to themselves tonight. He wants Uhura to be well rested for tomorrow and that doesn’t usually happen (never happens) on the occasions he sees them in bed together. 

Gailia’s door isn’t locked and he walks in without knocking. 

She’s got a blonde woman in her bed and it looks like they’re just finishing up. Jim clears his throat.

Gailia looks up at him and smiles brightly. “Jim!”

Chapel (Chapel?) looks surprised, but not embarrassed to be in front of her Captain in all her naked glory and Jim is begrudgingly impressed by her attitude. It’s always the shy ones.

He smiles slyly at her. “Chapel”.

He expects her to blush. She doesn’t, just smirks at him. “Captain”.

Chapel moves to slip on her dress and fasten her boots. Jim smirks back at her. “Bones’ a lucky man”.

Raising an eyebrow at him, her lips twitch. Chapel looks him up and down appraisingly. “Yes he is” she agrees.

Chapel walks out without another word and Jim stares after her. Turning to look at Gailia, he finds her grinning at him. “Don’t even think about it stud, your harem’s big enough” she snarks and opens her arms to him.

Jim mock-pouts but jumps into bed with her anyway, settling comfortable against her slick chest. “But I love my crew” he moans.

“That doesn’t mean you have to love all your crew” she says, brushing back his hair and stroking his ears.

Jim snorts. “You can talk. I’m pretty sure the last time anyone bothered to check we were tied for biggest slut on the ship”.

“Yes, but I don’t get emotionally involved with everyone I fuck. I just have a good time”.

Jim frowns up at her, his eyes huge and blue. “You don’t love me baby?”

Gailia scoffs and slaps his stomach. “Of course I do silly, but I’m not in love with you”.

His frown just gets deeper and she traces the lines with her fingers, looking at him fondly. “You have so much love to give my little poly love-muffin, but not everyone can give you the same”.

He pouts into her thigh. “I just want you to be in love like me. You can be boring and just love one person, but I want you to at least love one person”.

“I love many people. I’m just not in love with any of them” She says, smiling at him guilelessly, “It’s just not in my nature muffin”.

Jim rolls his eyes and drags her down for a kiss, pulling her on top of him. “That’s bullshit” he accuses softly into her mouth.

“Probably” she admits and claims his mouth again before he can protest. 

()  
Morning comes and Jim immediately wishes it hadn’t. There’s a drum beating inside his head and everything is too bright. Even the silence is loud. Rolling over onto his side he finds Gailia and tugs her back into his chest. With his head buried in her sweet smelling hair the pain recedes and Jim can almost imagine his hangover is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. 

“Do you want me to conn Leonard?” Gailia whispers, stroking her fingers down his arm and entwining their hands. 

Jim moans pitifully and actually considers it for a minute. Bones would come, he knows, but he’d pay for it later. In more ways than one. 

As though she can follow his thoughts Gailia hums softly and tilts her head back so he can see her smile. “Think your ass can handle it Jimmy?” 

Jim whacks her on the thigh and she shrieks delightedly, laughing into his shoulder. “Shut it and yes” he smiles, “I’ll have you know my ass is perfectly capable of handling anything that megalomaniac can dish out”.

“I don’t doubt it” she smiles at him and it’s sugary sweet, “Of course. I could help you out as well muffin”.

Jim grins and cracks his bloodshot eyes open, looking absurdly hopeful. “Really?”

“For a price”.

“I’m intrigued” Jim admits, rolling so he’s on top of her, staring down at her flushed, mischievous face, “what is this price?”.

“Hmm” Gailia traces a thumb over her plush lips and lets it travel down her neck, over her torso and down to her centre. Slipping her thumb inside her own wetness she arches up to bite Jim’s lip teasingly. 

“Nothing you won’t be willing to pay”.

()

Hangover slowly abating thanks to Gailia’s magical Orion hangover juice, Jim decides to swing by his quarters before Beta shift for a lengthy sonic and a fresh uniform. He’s yawning and stretching the aching muscles in his back when he hears it- the sound coming from inside Rand’s quarters. 

Stopped outside his door, Jim stares in wonder at the unobtrusive little door and the truly obscene moans that are issuing from behind it.

As a matter of necessity Yeoman Rand’s quarters are opposite the Captains. You wouldn’t believe how many times someone requires an emergency shift sign off in the middle of the night or planet-side admirals forget that they’re on a different clock out here is space. All in all, it’s a convenient arrangement to have her so close and Jim knows he probably wouldn’t survive the day without Rand to drag him through the trivialities of it. 

That being said, Jim’s brain absolutely has no idea how to interpret this situation. It’s come to a screeching halt. The idea that quiet, meek little Janice Rand can make sounds like that is, well, is- mind boggling really. 

They must be reaching the end because the moans pick up in length, volume and pitch before tapering off into a high whine that makes Jim blush. 

There’re sounds of movement from within and Jim realises he’s about to be caught outside his yeoman’s room, blushing right down his neck with no excuse for being there. He catches sight of a little alcove a few metres and runs for it, sliding home just as the door slides open. 

Voices float towards him, too soft to make out their identities and Jim can’t help it really- he has to look. He peeks around the corner gingerly and nearly smacks his head back into the wall rearing back in shock.

It’s Chapel again!

Christine Chapel smiles disarmingly and pulls Rand in for a brief kiss, which turns into a long kiss, which turns into making out against the door. Chapel slips her thigh between Rand’s hips and Jim has to look away when she moans. 

Jim stands, back to the wall, long after they’ve left and stares unseeingly at nothing. 

Christine Chapel and Janice Rand. Huh. It actually makes sense if he thinks about it. Rand is very clumsy and spends a lot of time in the med-bay. 

Chapel would have gotten to know her…In more ways than one apparently. 

Jim grins to himself and when the coast is clear, keys in his access code and slides into his room. He leans back against the door heavily and sighs, staring at the ceiling. 

“Rough night?”

It’s Uhura, sitting on the bed reading some old paperback that doesn’t look like it has anything to do with xenolinguistics. Jim is deliriously happy to see her all of a sudden. She doesn’t look tired for once; she looks normal, well rested even and calm. 

Jim grins at her and kicks off his boots, moving them into the shoe compartment when she makes a face at him. Jim shrugs out of his t-shirt and regulation pants, padding towards her and climbing into bed. Uhura swaps book hands and puts her arm around his shoulder, tucking him into her chest. 

Jim shrugs. “Nothing I can’t handle”.

Uhura gives him the side-eye. “I worry about you sometime, taking on so many lovers. It wears you out”.

Jim smiles into her skin, heartened by her concern. He doesn’t think the novelty of having people genuinely care about him will ever wear off. “Sometimes, but it’s not like I have the relationship I have with you and Spock with everyone else. That would be tiring”.

Uhura smiles and makes a sound like she agrees. “You don’t want to bring anyone into the family?” she asks, tentative but sure-footed, “We’d discuss it if you did”.

Jim presses his nose into her neck, inhaling her scent and kissing her gently. He doesn’t need to think about it, not really.

“I know we would but… I don’t think I want to” Jim admits quietly and at her disbelieving look hastens to justify.

“I mean Chekov and Sulu are pretty married already and even though they love me, they don’t need me with them in that way. I love Gailia but she’s fine without me as long as I drop by every couple of weeks. She definitely doesn’t want a more permanent arrangement. And my relationship with Bones is mostly just heavy bondage and some hearty spankings once a week. Don’t get me wrong, I know he loves me but” Jim shrugs, running his hand down Nyota’s thigh and playing with the hem of her skirt, “I think we’d kill each other if we tried to live together again” he snorts, “you should have seen us at the academy. We were a nightmare”.

Nyota smiles against his hair and hums.

Jim cranes his neck up to meet her dark eyes. “I’ll love all my lovers until the day I die Nyota, it’s just who I am, but” he licks his lip, “I know I’ll be with you guys until the day I die you know- you and Spock. We’ll always be three. I can feel it”.

Uhura looks stunned and her eyes soften to a degree Jim didn’t know was possible. “Oh Jim” she murmurs softly like something he said was sad, bending to kiss him chastely, dropping her book to the bed, “you’re so special you know that? So special”.

Cupping his face in her hands, she stokes her thumbs over his cheek bones and stares him straight in the eyes, soft and sincere. “We want to grow old with you too and we will” she says and then between kisses, “I promise”.

()

Spock meets him in the turbo lift with a curt “Captain” and Jim can see the exhaustion around his eyes even if his posture is straight and his diction crisp and even. 

“Commander” he parrots and relishes the surprised blink he gets in response. Jim doesn’t think he’s called Spock commander since his first year of command. 

They ride the turbo lift in silence, Jim amused, Spock thoughtful and walk onto the bridge together in perfect synchronicity. Almost as one the bridge crew swivel around to nod at them and Jim catches Nyota’s private smile and sends her a wink that makes her roll her eyes. 

Jim walks over to her, clapping Spock on the shoulder as he passes. “How’s the translation coming lieutenant?”

Scanning her padd, Nyota bites her lip in consideration. “Getting there Captain. If I work late tonight I might be able to have it done by Beta-shift tomorrow”.

Jim nods, inwardly unhappy, but aware that the sooner they get this translation done the sooner they can begin negotiations with the Jirin and get off this damn rock. “Good work Uhura. I’ll check back later”.

She nods, all business and Jim hides his grin. He’s so lucky to have her. Honestly.

Settling into his chair with a sigh, he swivels towards Sulu. “How’s our girl Lieutenant?”

Sulu turns and looks at him with evident amusement. “She’s handling beautifully sir, as always”.

“I bet she is” Jim grins and it’s a little bit dirty. If Sulu were anyone else he’d probably roll his eyes, instead he just eyes Kirk shrewdly and lets the corner of his mouth lift into a tiny smirk that says: I know what you’re doing asshole and even though it’s not working, I get you bro. 

Jim grins and he and Sulu share a bro nod before Jim addresses Chekov. “Mr Chekov?”

“We are maintaining orbit Keptin and zere are no difficulties to report at zis time” he says, blinking up at Jim adorably, like some kind of excited, expectant puppy. 

“That’s what I like to hear Ensign” Jim smiles, tapering down on his amusement and nodding at Chekov approvingly who blushes a particularly charming shade of red. When Jim catches himself thinking that he’d very much like to pin Chekov’s hips to the floor and see just how far down that blush extends- preferably with his tongue- Jim thinks it might be prudent to schedule some one on one time with the Russian sooner rather than later. 

Jim flips through his mental calendar and pencils Chekov in for Sunday night when he knows Sulu will be out of their quarters practicing ‘recreational botany’ with Lieutenant Marcus in her quarters. The scary thing is, Jim’s pretty sure they actually do spend most of the night planting things. Maybe it gets them going.

Jim shudders. It’s not something he wants to think about, at least, not since the incident with the sentient vines on G’Schink. 

Jim shudders. He hadn’t been able to walk for a month and not in the fun way. On the plus side he hadn’t had to eat salad for a whole six months, sighting PTSD to sympathetic kitchen staff and getting extra portions in the process. Bones shut that shit down pretty quickly when he found out what Jim was doing, descending on Jim’s kebab lunch like an avenging angel armed with diet plans and vitamin hypos. That man is a bloody sadist with his meal cards and Jim can barely get through a meal nowadays without getting a shrewd side-eye from Bones. 

Not a fun time by anyone’s standards. 

At the end of his shift he gives the conn to Spock and decides to head down to engineering to check in with his Chief Engineer. Whistling, he exits the turbo lift with a flourish and waltzes down the hallway, singing to himself. It was a good shift, no problems, but not so mind numbingly boring he had nothing to do. 

The lucky streak holds.

When he arrives at Scotty’s he finds the man reclined against a console, drink in one hand, bottle of something alcoholic and illegal looking in the other. 

Scotty snaps up straight, spilling his drink on his shirt. “Buggering fuck- Captain!”

Jim raises an eyebrow and hands Scotty a grease rag mutely, watching with hidden amusement as he tries to rub the stain out of his shirt and only really succeeds in making it bigger. And black. 

“What can I do ya for sir?” Scotty asks casually like his eyes aren’t bugging out of his head and he isn’t trying to shuffle in front of the bottle of whatever-the-hell-that-shit-is lying on the floor.

Jim smirks.

“You can poor me a drink Mr. Scott”.

Scotty grins slowly. “Aye sir”.

()

They end up getting truly, epically hammered and Jim has an odd moment of clarity in between Scotty’s inane rambling’s about his married-to-a-goat cousin and trying to find the moving floor.

He really fucking loves his crew. 

His life, his ship, his crew: they’re all so fucking amazing he wants to cry. To his complete disbelief and mortification he actually starts to. He sniffles and Scotty turns to him wide eyed and blinking.

“Ye alright Jimbo?” he mumbles, barely coherent. 

Jim sniffs and tried to wave him off, tell him he’s fine. 

Instead what comes out is: “I fucking love my ship Scotty, and my crew. My life is fucking amazing”.

Scotty’s stares, then his mouth starts to wobble and he sniffs loudly. “Aye, the Enterprise is a mighty special lass” he claps his hand on Kirks shoulder, “I got ye Jim”

Jim stares at Scotty emotionally and Scotty stares back. 

Chekov finds them later, hugging and sobbing into each other’s neck, professing their undying love for the warp core and backs out of the room slowly, like crazy is catching and run-walks down the hall and far, far away from the two of them.

Jim and Scotty don’t notice much of anything for a long time after that.

()

Jim wakes up in the med bay with a dead tribble in his mouth. 

Oh wait, no, that’s just his mouth. Ew.

Fuck Scotty and his Romulan ale. Seriously. Never again.

Bones walks in and the look on his face can only herald doom. Jim swallows.

“An Ensign found you passed out in Engineering, spooning a Jeffries tube. You want to explain that to me or should I just let my imagination run wild?”

Bones does not look impressed, but that’s so close to the status quo that Jim relaxes slightly and shrugs. “Scotty and I had a few drinks” he says, trying for casual. Maybe if he doesn’t make a big deal out of it, neither will Bones. 

Bones looks at his shrewdly, like he knows what Jim’s trying to do.

“If you think I’m going to believe that steaming pile of horse shit you’re dreaming kid” he says, “this aint’ my first time at the rodeo. I have a teenage daughter you know and she’s a much better liar than you. You’ll have to do better than that”.

Jim crosses his arms, defensive. “It was Romulan ale!” he says emphatically, waving his arms, “that shit could knock a Vulcan on his ass. Scotty and I didn’t stand a chance”.

Giving him his best fatherly unimpressed look, Bones jabs him in the neck and glares when Jim does. “It’s a fluid replenisher Jim. You’re dehydrated as fuck. Don’t be such a baby”.

Jim sucks on his lip and glares harder, belligerent. “I’m not” he says (he does not whine).

“Right,” Bones snarks, “Of course not. I’m just imagining your high-pitch nasally tone of voice”.

“I’m your Captain” Jim retorts lamely.

Bones smirks. “And I’m your master. You don’t see me pulling rank”.

“Please” Jim scoffs, “like you wouldn’t”.

Jim’s seen Bones pull rank before on multiple occasions: in the hallway for no reason other than horny now, in the mess hall during dinner, on the fucking bridge when he noticed Jim was hard in his goddamn Captain’s chair (his fucking fault by the way).

“Not here” Bones says seriously, like the med-bay is some holier-than-thou chamber of eternal virginity and moves to pack up his med-kit.

Never let it be said that Jim Kirk doesn’t know a challenge when he sees one, deliberately issued or not. He smirks, leaning back on his hands and letting his legs sprawl apart casually. 

Bones notices, of course he does, and raises an eyebrow at Jim. 

Jim just smiles teasingly and looks up from underneath his lashes, biting his lip red in the way he knows Bones loves to do himself. He lets it slip out of his mouth, slick, plump and enticing. His hips gyrate dirtily, shamelessly- far too lewd for a public place. Predictably, Bones licks his own lips and his focus narrows in on Jim like a hawk. 

“Really?” Jim asks, slow and deliberately husky, “are you sure about that?”

Bones hesitates, the lust running through him at war with his docterly honour (or whatever the fuck doctors have instead of honour). Jim grins triumphantly, watching his resolve crack and shatter before his eyes. 

Bones is up against him in two short strides, yanking Jim’s head back so he gasps and biting down the curve of Jim’s long neck. He makes his way back up the other side, grinding their hips together hard just as he nips savagely at Jims jaw. Jim moans and Bones pulls back reluctantly, breathing harshly. 

“Brush your fucking teeth and meet me in my quarters in five boy, that’s an order” Bones growls and Jim shudders deliciously, licking his lips.

“Yes master” he purrs and rushes to comply, booking it out of the med-bay as fast as possible. 

()

It’s only when they’re in bed together later and Jim’s completely fucked out and happily cradled and shivering lightly in the cocoon of McCoy’s arms that he laughs to himself and remembers.

“You alright?” Bones asks, gruff, but running a concerned hand up and down his spine soothingly. Bones kisses his brow tenderly and strokes his hair with his other hand. They know better than anyone the risks of insufficient aftercare and after the last time when Spock had stormed into his quarters in a righteous fury, demanding to know what the doctor had done to his mate (nearly dislocating his CMO’s shoulder in the process), Jim figures he probably has the right to be concerned. 

“Yeah” he yawns into his shoulder. “Just remembered something Scotty and I talked about”.

Bones snorts. “Yeah and what do two genius-level morons talk about when they’re drunk?” he wraps Jim up tighter, pulling him into his chest, “the suspense is killing me”.

Jim smiles again and looks up at Bones, surprised to see that there’s genuine curiosity in his eyes. 

“We both realised we were irrevocably in love with the Enterprise and started arguing over who had dibs on our lovely lady” he says.

McCoy snorts. “And who won”.

“It was a tie. We agreed to an open marriage” he says and Bones chuckles. 

“Well that just doesn’t sound like you at all” he says sarcastically and Jim grins.

Jim quietens, hesitating for minute.

“I also realised that this ship, this crew and this life is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I’d be lost without each and every one of you” he whispers, surprised when Bones strokes his cheek lightly in response, looking down at him pensively.

They stare at each other and Jim licks his lips, daring.

“I know I don’t say it often, but you’re my best friend Bones and I love you more than I can say” he says, hoarse.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, any of you” he admits and Bones catches his hand, brushing an uncharacteristically soft kiss across his knuckles. 

His eyes are soft and kind and it’s such a rare sight that it steals Jim’s breath right out of his chest. Then, true to form, Bones hauls him in again, kisses the top of his sweaty head and nips his ear, growling. “It’s about time you figured that one out you damn fool”.

Soaking in the sweaty warmth of his CMO and smiling so widely his face is in danger of splitting at the seams, Jim hums contentedly and quietly agrees. 

()

Back in his quarters that night reviewing Nyota’s finished translations, the woman herself tucked into his neck and a warm Vulcan body on his other side, exhausted but finally peaceful, Jim stares up at the ceiling and grins to himself.

Fuck he’s a lucky bastard.

**Author's Note:**

> My love letter to Polyamory. A boquet of lovers indeed.  
> No beta. I'm a shitty editor, but here's to hoping I did an okay job this time.


End file.
